Frida Kahlo: Radical Artist, Political Activist, Icon

In contemporary pop culture, there’s one face nobody can seem to get enough of: that of Frida Kahlo. The Mexican painter died in 1954, but her legacy remains very much alive: Her life was the subject of a 2002 movie starring Salma Hayek, and her image can be found on everything from Forever 21 T-shirts to bracelets like the one worn by British Prime Minister Theresa May in October 2017.

As critics of the conservative leader pointed out, however, today’s branding of Frida as a champion of “girl power” can sometimes overshadow her lifelong commitment to a profoundly leftist social and political agenda. She was not only an openly bisexual feminist, making her way ahead of her time, but also a communist and Mexican nationalist who intertwined personal experience, ideology, and cultural commentary in her art and lifestyle.

Born in 1907 to a German immigrant father and partially indigenous mother, Kahlo was plagued by disease from a young age. She suffered from polio when she was only 6 years old, and at age 18 endured a violent bus accident that would contribute to health and fertility complications for the rest of her life. Despite her physical disabilities, she had a revolutionary spirit — and would even claim to have been born in 1910 to correspond her birth with the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. In 1922, she became one of few female students to enroll in Mexico City's National Preparatory School, where she befriended a group of politically inclined students and joined the Mexican Communist Party.

As she denouncedcolonialism, Frida developed a strong sense of "Mexicanidad," a term used to describe an affinity and admiration for indigenous Mexican culture. She often painted in the style of retablos or ex-votos, tin paintings meant for prayers of gratitude. Following her marriage to famous muralist Diego Rivera, she embraced folkloric attire and began wearing the colorful Tehuana dress she's now known for; it's traditional for the matriarchal Zapotec society and represents a culture of female leadership and independence.

These were characteristics embodied by the young artist, who was not afraid to paint in graphic detail taboo topics surrounding her body, including miscarriage. Injuries sustained to her pelvis, spine, and uterus during the bus accident caused Frida to endure multiple miscarriages throughout her life, which she addresses in paintings such as the 1932 piece “Henry Ford Hospital.” Here, her naked body is depicted on a hospital bed following a miscarriage.

Although this physical and emotional trauma is often regarded as the primary subject of many of Frida’s paintings, art historian Jane Helland writes that these interpretations “whitewash” the many social and political layers found in her work. “Kahlo's personal pain should not eclipse her commitment to Mexico and the Mexican people. As she sought her own roots, she also voiced concern for her country as it struggled for an independent cultural identity,” Helland noted in her 1991 paper “Culture, Politics, and Identity in the Paintings of Frida Kahlo.” Because she grew up after the revolution, much of this identity was rooted in a deep respect and appreciation for the pre-Columbian Aztec civilization. According to Helland, Frida’s Mexicanidad and fascination with her mestiza (or mixed-ancestry) heritage lent itself to placing Aztec symbols, such as monkeys, skulls, and flowers, in many of her paintings.

In the last years of life, her paintings reflected messages in favor of Marxism and Stalinism, which she hoped would inspire a similar state of nationalism and unity in her beloved home country. In a 1952 letter to friend Antonio Rodriguez, she wrote, “I wish to be worthy, with my paintings, of the people to whom I belong and to the ideas which strengthen me.” Even her last public appearance — her funeral — was marked by the Communist Party hammer and sickle flag that adorned her coffin.

More than 60 years later, Kahlo continues to be worshiped for her impeccable selfie game, her iconic fashion sense, and her outspoken personality. At a time when women were expected to stay in line and support their husbands, she made waves for establishing a career and holding her own radical political convictions. In 2018, we can learn a thing or two about the way she led her life — and it goes way beyond how to rock natural brows.